Liver 101

My latest and greatest study topic has been on the liver. As I delve into the mysteries of this most important organ in our human bodies, I am at awe at how it is rarely discussed. If our bodies were automobiles, the liver would be the engine. How then, pray tell, when we show up to a Dr. , sick, does he not say, "Hmmmmm, let's take a look at your liver!" No, they just want to give a new , medicinal fix to cover up what truly is going on. Part of the reason is that most of us don't really want to know how to fix ourselves. We would rather take a magic pill. Problem; it is not a cure and most often it is an accomplice to a further problem.

Let us all take a look see at what the liver really is. First off the liver is the most important organ in the body. It performs over 400 jobs in our systems. It is a so called living filter that cleans the system and keeps everything running as designed. To name a few of the most important functions the liver is responsible for are:

Storing of vitamins, sugars and iron for energy

Production and removal of cholesterol

Cleans out the waste from toxins, drugs and poisons

Produces immune factors and removes bacteria

Produces bile to digest and absorb food

Makes clotting factors possible so we won't bleed to death

Metabolizes proteins

Controls hormonal balance

As you can see, we need our liver. If you loose your liver, you have 1-2 days to live. If your liver is clogged up or damaged due to the way we treat our body, everything suffers. We get sick, we get fat, we get hormonal, we can't digest what nutrients we may be eating and we can't protect ourselves from our environment.

How do you know if your liver is due for a overhaul? Well, we all need to cleanse our liver on a regular basis, which I will talk about, but the main symptoms of liver problems are:

Weight gain, especially around the belly

cellulite

abdominal bloating

indigestion

high blood pressure

elevated cholesterol

fatigue

mood swings

depression

skin rashes

hypoglycemia

There are many things that contribute to an abused liver; the toxic world we live in, caffeine, sugar, trans fats, yeast problems, medicines, lack of fiber , to name a few.

The good news is that the liver can rebuild itself. It can be cleansed. You will notice a difference. There is nothing you can do to control your weight as important as keeping your liver healthy. This is where you should start.

How? First off, get rid of the junk. Stop drinking caffeine. Eat more fiber. Those are the obvious. Next, start a cleanse. You can check out the book called "The Fat Flush Plan" if you want to research a little more and even learn about an intense cleanse but the basics are easy to do. I do this cleanse on a regular basis and can swear by the results. If you want to loose weight with it as well, check out the book at stick to their diet, it is one of the few diets I would recommend. But here is how I do it:

First thing in the morning, the liver cleanse. Two ways you can do this:

1. 8 oz hot water with juice of 1/2 lemon or

2. 1 T. lemon juice in 2 oz water with 1 drop lemon oil and 1 drop peppermint oil (good quality essential oils only.)

**Make sure that you take this 2 hours before any prescriptions or it may lessen the effect of the drug

Second step: Cranberry water and psyllium husk

Do this twice daily, before breakfast. 1 oz pure organic, unsweetened cranberry juice (I use Knudsen's) in 7 oz water. Mix in 1 tsp psyllium husk which can be purchased at a health store ( I use Colon Pure brand). Mix just until dissolved and drink down. Drink before it gets too thick. Not too tasty.

Third step: Cranberry water

First thing in the morning mix 8 OZ of cranberry juice with 56 oz of water. Drink this throughout the day. You want this all gone. Yes, you will be using the potty , a lot. That's good. We could be spending a whole day talking about why you should be using the potty more. Basic message, you need to be pooping at least once daily.

Do this for two weeks. Try to incorporate eggs daily which help the liver. Stay away from fats as much as possible but try to incorporate good oils like Flax Seed oil, 1 T. daily. Take walks or jog. This will help stimulate the lymphatic system. It will help things work their way out. You may feel a bit sick at first while the body is cleansing. That is a good thing. The sicker you are the more toxic you are. Keep it up. I recommend doing this at least 4 times a year.

Try to stick to a higher vegetarian diet as you do this. After researching the liver more fully in addition to reading and studying the Word of Wisdom (Our LDS doctrine given to us by the prophet Joseph Smith by the Lord concerning our temporal health) I am a firm believer that we all could do much better by going on a mostly vegetarian diet. The world is even figuring this out. Many studies are now reporting that those who eat more meat have a higher chance of colon cancer among other diseases. Meat is very hard on the liver. It overworks it and doesn't allow it to work at it's potential. Notice how you feel after you eat a big meat meal. Heavy, sluggish, bloated. I have decided to eliminate meat as much as possible and feel much better. I am sticking with eggs, beans, whole grains and nuts as my source of protein. Try it out and see how you feel. If we all paid attention to what our bodies were telling us, we would avoid so many future illnesses.

If we fail to take care of ourselves, if we fail to do the proper maintenance needed and do not respect our bodies, we will reap the results. We will be sick, we will be fatigued, we may die. We are on this earth to become better people; to serve, to learn, to grow. If we are sick, we are greatly limiting that potential and we affect all those around us. It is important. Let us all do a little better by taking control of our lives. Contrary to what Obama and other leaders my think, WE are in control of our own health. WE cannot blame anyone else but ourselves.